fitable or holy, or all this together. Nature makes excellent friendships, of which we observe fomething in focial plants; growing better in each others neighbourhood than where they stand fingly and in animals it is more notorious, whofe friendships extend fo, far as to herd and dwell together, to play and feed, to defend and fight for one another, and to cry in abfence, and to rejoice in one another's prefence. But these friendships have other names lefs noble, they are Sympathy, or they are inftinct. But if to this natural friendship there be reafon fuperadded, fomething will come in upon the ftock of reafon which will ennoble it. But becaufe no rivers can rife higher than fountains, reafon fhall draw out all the difpofitions which are in nature and establish them into friendships, but they cannot furmount the communications of nature: nature can make no friendships greater than her own excellencies, Nature is the way of contracting neceffary friendfhips, that is, by nature fuch friendships are contracted without which we cannot live, and be educated, or be well, or be at all. In this scene, that of parents and children is the greatest, which indeed is begun in nature, but is actuated by fociety and mutual endearments. For parents love their children because they love themselves, children being but like emiffions of water, fymbolical or indeed the fame with the fountain; and they in their pofterity fee the images and inftruments of a civil immortality. But if parents and children do not live together, we fee their friendships and their loves are much abated, and fupported only by fame and duty, by cuftoms and religion, which to nature are but artificial pillars, and make this friendfhip to be complicated, and to pass from its own kind to another, that of children to their parents is not properly friendship, but but gratitude and intereft, and religion, and whatever can fupervene of the nature of friend fhip comes in upon another account; upon fociety, worthiness and choice. This relation on either hand makes great dearneffes: but it hath special and proper fignifications of it, and there is a fpecial duty incumbent on each other refpectively. This friendship and focial relation is not equal, and there is too much au2 thority on one fide, and too much fear on the other to make equal friendships: and therefore although this is one of the kinds of friendship, that is of a focial relative love and converfation; yet in the more proper ufe of the word, friendship does do fomethings which father and fon do not; I infstance in the free and open communicating counfels, and the eveninefs and pleasanthefs of converfation; and confequently the fignifications of the paternal and filial love as they are divers, in themselves and unequal, and therefore another kind of friendship then we mean in our enquiry fo they are fuch a duty which no other friendfhip can annul: becaufe their mutual duty is bound upon them by religion long before any other friendship can be contracted: and therefore having firft poffeffion must abide for ever. The duty and love to parents must not yield to religion, much lefs to any new friendships and our parents are to be preferred before the corban, and are at no hand to be laid afide but when they engage against God; that is, in the rights which this relation and kind of friendship challenges as its propriety, it is fupreme and cannot give place to any other friendfhips: till the father gives his right away, and God or the laws confent to it; as in the cafe of marriage, emancipation, and adoption to another family: in which cafes though love and gratitude are ftilk obliging, yet the fo E 4 cieties cieties and duties of relation are very much altered which in the proper and best friendships can never be at all. But then this alfo is true; that the focial relations of parents and children not having in them all the capacities of a proper friendship, cannot challenge all the fignifications of it: that is, it is no prejudice to the duty I owe there, to pay all the dearneffes which are due here, and to friends there are somethings due which the other cannot challenge, I mean my fecret, and my equal converfation, and the plea fures and interefts of these, and the confequents of all. Next to this the fociety and dearness of brothers and fifters: which ufually is very great amongst worthy perfons; but if it be confidered what it is in itself, it is but very little; there is very often a likeness of natural temper, and there is a focial life under the fame roof, and they are commanded to love one another, and they are equals in many inftances, and are endeared by converfa tion when it is merry and pleasant, innocent and fimple, without art and defign. But brothers pafs not into noble friendships upon the stock of that relation: they have fair difpofitions and advantages, and are more eafy and ready to ferment into the greatest dearneffes, if all things be anfwerable. Nature difpofes them well towards it, but in this enquiry if we afk what duty is paffed upon a brother to a brother even for being fo? I anfwer, that religion and our parents, and God and the laws appoint what measures they pleafe, but nature paffes but very little, and friendship lefs; and this we fee apparently in those brothers who live afunder, and contract new relations, dwell in other focieties. There is no love, no friendship without the intercourfe of converfation: friendships indeed may last longer than our abode together, 1 together, but they were firft contracted by it, and established by pleasure and benefit; and unless it be the best kind of friendship (which that of brothers in that mere capacity is not) it dies when it wants the proper nutriment and fupport: and to this purpose is that which was spoken by Solomon: better is a neighbour that is near, than a brother which is far off: that is, although ordinarily brothers are firft poffeffed of the entries and fancies of friendship, because they are of the first focieties and converfations; yet when that ceases and the brother goes away, fo that he does no advantage, no benefit of intercourfe; the neighbour that dwells by me, with whom I converse at all, either he is my enemy and does and receives evil: or if we converfe in worthiness and benefit and pleafant converfation, he is better in the laws and meafures of friendship than my diftant brother. And it is obfervable that brother is indeed a word of friendship and charity, and of mutual endearment, and fo is a title of the bravest society; yet in all the scripture there are no precepts given of any duty and comfort, which brothers, that is, the defcendants of the fame parents are to have one towards another in that capacity; and it is not because their nearnefs is fuch that they need none: for parents and children are nearer, and yet need tables of duty to be defcribed; and for brothers, certainly they need it infinitely if there be any peculiar duty; Cain and Abel are the great probation of that, and you know who faid, Fratrum quoque gratia rara eft. It is not often you shall fee But But the fcripture which often defcribes the duty of parents and children, never describes the duty of brothers; except where by brethren are meant all that part of mankind who are tied to us by any vicinity and indearment of religion or country, of profeffion and family, of contract and fociety, of love and the nobleft friendship; the meaning is, that though fraternity alone be the endearment of fome degrees of friendship, without choice and excellency, yet the relation itself is not friendship, and does not naturally infer it, and that which is procured by it, is but limited and little; and though it may pafs into it, as other converfations may, yet the friendship is accidental to it, and enters, upon other accounts, as it does between strangers; with this only difference that brotherhood does oftentimes affift the valuation of those excellencies for which we entertain our friendships. Fraternity is the opportunity and preliminary difpofition to friendship and no more. For if my brother be a fool or a vicious perfon, the love to which nature and our first conversation difpofes me, does not end in friendship, but in pity, fair provifions and affiftances which is a demonstration that brotherhood is but the inclination and addrefs to friendship. And though I will love a worthy brother more than a worthy ftranger, if the wor thiness be equal, because the relation is fomething, and being put into the scales against an equal worthiness muft needs turn the ballance, as every grain will do in an even weight; yet when the relation is all the worthinefs that is pretended, it cannot ftand in competition with a friend: but though a friend brother is better than a friend ftranger, where the friend is equal, but the brother is not; yet a brother is not better than a friend; but as Solomon's expreffion, is, there |